Il Sorpasso is regarded as one of the
finest of all
Italian comedies. Released in 1962, the film was first put into
theaters with
little fanfare and box-office expectations. The film quickly became an
incredible success based on audiences reactions and word of mouth that
the film
was something special. It ended up becoming the highest grossing film
in Italy
of the year and it was thrown an incredible amount of accolades at the
same
time. Today, Il Sorpasso is still regarded as a classic, and
its
influence has been seen on numerous films, including both Dennis
Hopper's Easy
Rider and Alexander Payne's Sideways. Director Dino Risi
found great
success in making what was never intended as a inspirational
masterpiece of
cinema, but that is exactly what the film has become. Without a doubt, Il
Sorpasso is a genuine classic of Italian cinema which should be
considered
as essential viewing.

The story begins simply in many respects. The film
opens
with the jubilant and easygoing Bruno Cortona (Vittorio Gassman)
driving around
Italy. Bruno is planning a road trip through Rome and surrounding
areas. He
doesn't want to go alone and brings with the law student Roberto
(Jean-Louis
Trintignant), who initially doesn't want to go on the road trip with
Bruno. The
abundantly spirited charisma of Bruno keeps Roberto along for the ride.
The
journey is an interesting one full of surprises.

The journey begins as a trip for a bit of lunch
and soon
becomes an overarching road trip of far greater proportions. Roberto
helps pay
for the entire trip with a sentiment from Bruno that he'll pay him
back. They
stop off a dance club, at a garden site in which they noticed some
beautiful
women they wanted to ask out (but then did not even have enough courage
to ask
to lunch with them), and to a restaurant, a night-club, and to the
seaside
beach where Bruno goes to see his ex-wife (Luciana Angiolillo), and his
teenage
daughter who he hasn't tried to see in so many years. This reunion with
his
family, whom he has not seen in a long time, is one which leads the
film
directly into its more dramatic core as a character study and towards
what is
ultimately a tragic conclusion.

The film both explores the entertaining
free-spirited
adventure of these character's travels across country to such extent
that the
English title for the film was once called 'The Easy Life'. Yet
the core
of the story is actually one which paints these characters with a more
inquisitive look into their story. Bruno is seemingly always happy and
easygoing but is actually someone who has failed to take care of either
himself, his wife, or his daughter. (At one point, he is referred to
without hesitation
as a child). He seems much more complex and perhaps much deeper as a
character for
the film to explore as one considers the story as it unfolds: at least
considering
the layers of the character not seen at the start.

Roberto is someone who has far less of an outgoing
spirit.
He mostly seems to keep to himself. For starters, he is incredibly
shy... so
much so that he eventually discusses his affections for a neighbor girl
who he
would like to marry after graduating from school, yet Roberto has only
talked
to her one time. Roberto is far from a individual with good social
skills.
Bruno mainly studies and tries to focus first on a possible career in a
field
he isn't sure of for himself. This
polarity to Roberto is one of the ways the storytelling fascinates.

The performances are uniformly excellent in Il
Sorpasso;
most especially from the brilliant and energetic Vittorio Gassman.
Gassman
gives a first-rate performance in the film that ultimately helped to
make it the
classic it's heralded as. He worked for years as a theatrical actor and
did
many Shakespearean plays prior to making a number of dramatic films
which did
poorly (one after another) within the Italian box-office. Il
Sorpasso was
a change of pace for him in that it generally wasn't the case that he
did
comedies. Yet this film was a blend of comedy and drama which fit his
acting
style perfectly.Bruno was an amazing
role for Gassman to be able to play, and he made it one of the best and
most
well received moments in his acting career. Even with moments that at
first
glance seem merely comedic, there are some fascinating emotions that
are coming
from Gassman's eyes which gives pause and wonder to the character that
is not
even in the script.

The script is uniformly excellent, though. The
story might
seem basic and not too complex at the beginning but the film feels like
a
metaphor of sorts for what can happen when living life on the fast lane
as Roberto
does. This all builds to the grand finale that no doubt left a large
impression
upon moviegoers of '62.

The direction of the film is impeccable. Dino Risi
has done
an incredible job with the way this film flows and the energy the film
presents. It is fast paced and energetic in parts of the film in ways
that
films are almost always incapable of presenting in modern movies. The
opening
just jumps into things with such ferocity that one is fascinated by the
zippiness of the car and how Risi presents the footage of Roberto
driving
around Rome. This is some of the finest footage ever filmed for a road
trip
movie. One almost can't even fathom that it was filmed in the 60's. The
camera-shots are also so impeccable chosen and framed. The way that
this was
handled seems so ahead of everything else of the time. Most Hollywood
movies
used standard prop backgrounds and nothing else for car footage but in Il
Sorpasso the energy is dramatically heightened by the ambitious
filmmaking.

Risi is also intelligent at slowing down the film
for quiet
moments between the characters. Through these moments some of the most
unexpected and most impressive shots exist; so unbelievably artistic in
style
that it feels almost as if Italian cinema is having a New Wave
cinematically its
own. Italian cinema (especially of the 60's and 70's) is some of the
finest.
Somehow this film manages to also add a unique spot in the history of
the
country and it's fascinating output through the medium.

The cinematography by Alfio Contini is impressive
as well.
The black and white photography seems to present the locations toured
through
the film with great realization that only a truly phenomenal
photographer can
provide. The lighting is so effectively realized too. Add in a
incredible score
provided by composer Riz Ortolani, and the results are stunning
together.

Il Sorpasso is a surprising film on many
different levels.
The story begins almost as if it's existence came immediately and out
of nowhere,
and the flow of the film leads to many a comedic moment and a more
dramatic
second half which ultimately is more complex and fascinating. The
filmmakers
and actors involved made a classic: a masterpiece that is one outstanding
road-trip movie which will continue to influence and surprise
filmmakers for
decades to come.

The Blu-ray:

Video:

Il Sorpasso arrives on Blu-ray with a
1.85:1 1080p
MPEG-4 AVC encoded High Definition presentation. The film looks
stunning for
the most part with excellent black levels, depth, and detail. The film
was
restored from 35mm source prints and at 2K resolution. The film is
quite close
to being a completely magnificent presentation, with a respectable
26.29 mbps
encode that works well with the black and white photography. The film
has had a
lot of improvements in the area of print damage with a lot of manual
adjustments
made to restore it. Occasional minor print damage is still seen and one
or two
moments seem to even suggest a minor tear on the print used. Mostly,
however,
this is a terrific presentation of Il Sorpasso that will surely
leave
serious fans of the film satisfied.

Audio:

The audio is presented in lossless mono Italian
with 24 bit
depth encoding. It's a stunning audio presentation for a mono audio
track and
it leaves the dialogue sounding entirely clear and quite easy to
understand. The
music score also sounds terrific with this amazing high quality
lossless
presentation. Optional English subtitles are provided.

Extras:

Supplements on this release are bountiful and are
quite
impressive. All of the on disc extras are encoded in High Definition
(even
though a few were from SD source material). Criterion has included a
booklet which
features essays about the film from select film critics and some of
director
Dino Risi's writings.

On disc extras
included:

Trailer (3 min.)

Introduction by Alexander Payne (6 min.)
provides a
brief overview and tribute from the great filmmaker of Sideways,
Nebraska,
and The Descendants.

Jean-Louis Trintignant (9 min.) was an interview done with the actor from Il
Sorpasso before a television airing occurred in the 80's.

Ettore Scola (15 min.) is an interview with
the
director who helped write Il Sorpasso when he was just a screenwriter
and not
directing.

Remi Fournier Lanzoni (16 min.) is an
interview held
with a film scholar who helps to break down their themes and ideas.

Back to Castiglioncello (11 min. excerpt)
with
footage from documentary filmed at same locations where the movie was
filmed
and this features interviews with cast/crew.

A Beautiful Vacation (56 min.) is a
documentary on
the life and career of director Dino Risi.

Speaking with Gassman (31 min.) is a
documentary made
by Dino Risi's son about their working relationship as an actor and
director.

Final Thoughts:

Il Sorpasso is a
magnificent piece of filmmaking with
excellent direction, cinematography, and music.This
is an quality release of a classic of Italian cinema and it
should belong within the collections of any fan of Italian cinema and
great
road-trip movies.

Highly Recommended.

Neil Lumbard is a lifelong fan of cinema, and a student who aspires to make movies. He loves writing, and currently does in Texas.